Folk and Americana singer-songwriter Gary Hempsey shares the blues-tinted new single ‘Night Flight’.
Bringing together heartfelt, poetic lyricism akin to James Taylor with a rich and organic sonic backdrop, Gary Hempsey continues to display his abilities as both a performer and songwriter on ‘Night Flight’. Finger-picked acoustic guitars, warming bass, and strings set a thoughtful, understated backdrop for Hempsey’s stylistic storytelling and husky, effortlessly charismatic lead vocal. Heartfelt, poetic, rich, and packed with soulful, emotive instrumentation, the track captures all of the emotional depth and artistic flair Gary has become known for.
Talking about the single, Gary explains:
“I was traveling and had a connecting flight that had a long layover, and being so late, the airport started to empty out. I noticed only a few people where there were hundreds an hour before. I noticed a young man in an Army uniform who was twirling the ring on his finger and thought, ‘He’s carrying his wife or thinking of someone,’ and that started the lyrics in my head. The few people in the terminal were trying to get comfortable. The cleaning crew were cleaning the floor, and I just started writing the song and wrote down everything I saw. Yes, there was a baby whose mother was gently rocking her to sleep across from me. The song had so many more verses; in my head, pictures of that soldier tuning his key and finally being home. I also noticed an elderly woman who was traveling alone was twisting a necklace like a rosary. In my mind, it was a ring also, and that really started the line, ‘I carry you with me.’ I had the music in my head during the flight as if I had a guitar in my hands. You can say the entire song was written during a layover and a night flight using the imagery around me and, of course, imagination.
I joke about it being the perfect Hallmark movie song, but actually, I think it is like a mini movie once you visualize the lyrics.”
Having had a long and illustrious career as a musician, gaining accolades including winning multiple awards for the previous single “Sinkhole” (Best Song in a Music Video at the Cleveland Film Festival, nominated for Best Music Video in Austin and San Francisco, won Best Music Video at the Santa Cruz Film Festival and Song of the Year in Gary’s hometown of Key West at the Key West Music Awards), Gary has started to also appear across tastemaker music blogs and US and UK radio. Performing across the US before settling in Key West, Gary Hempsey has built a reputation for his unquestionable talent and experience as an artist.
Listen below: